The Music of Cowboy Bebop was arranged and composed by Yoko Kanno, creator of the memorable music from such series as Vision of Escaflowne, Earth Girl Arjuna, Macross Plus, Sousei no Aquarion, and Wolf's Rain, among others. With Cowboy Bebop, she changes style dramatically and dives into a rich world of bebop jazz. "Swanky" is the word that springs to my mind when listening to it. There are fast paced piano pieces, slinky saxophone tracks, and quirky vocals, such as Cats on Mars. I can't recommend the music enough! As of this writing, there are five Bebop CDS, but more are on the way! CD covers and track listings are displayed below.

**I have also included links to an online store where you can purchase LEGITIMATE Bebop soundtracks. These CDs were released by Victor, and usually have a catalog number that begins with VICL-. If you see Bebop CDs for sale that are released by Son May or Ever Anime, and the price is very low, those are BOOTLEGS, and should NOT be purchased. Please support the creators of Bebop and buy the REAL thing!**

Most of this music was performed with the assistance of the Seatbelts, a group of musicians gathered by Yoko Kanno. Many of them are
the same people that helped her out with her previous anime soundtracks (Escaflowne, Macross Plus), but for Cowboy Bebop, they gave themselves this cool name and created a new identity for themselves. Learn about the seatbelts HERE!

Why yes, I did buy this CD mainly for track #11, 'Green Bird' the song used in one of the most AWESOME scenes in the series, the end of episode 5 :) I cannot express how much I loved that whole episode! This CD contains a great selection of Bebop music- from the aforementioned 'Green Bird' which is an enchanting vocal piece, to 'Live in Baghdad' which is Yoko Kanno doing hard rock music :) (And *IS* that song in English? I am really not sure...)'Want it All Back' is a very fun tune, featured during the big chase scene after Ein in episode 2. Listen to the lyrics to it. So wild! :) I like the remix of Tank on the Music for Freelance CD better than the Power of Kung Food one here, but it is still pretty good. Some tracks are repeats of things already found on the Vitaminless CD, but the rest of the music included here definitely makes this CD worth picking up!

Wow, a lot of songs in English on this CD. And a great variety of types of songs as usual! I think my favorite song on this CD is the title track, 'Blue' which begins with absolutely stirring vocal harmonies before settling down to great English vocals by Mai Yamane. Another favorite is 'Adieu', a vocal version of the song 'Memory' on OST 1. With vocals, this song shas a very sultry feel too it. Way cool :) 'We Qui Non Coin' is a lot of fun, and is sung by Ed's voice Actress, Aoi Tada.'Chicken Bone' sounds like it is sung by 'Gabriela Robin' but it is listed as by someone else. It's a funy song about.. yeah, chicken bones ^_^ Ave Maria is, of course gorgeous :) And I think 'GoGo Cactus' is one of the few songs in Bebop that sounds like it would be heard in a cowboy western movie :) Yes, another great collection of music to pick up....

Cowboy Bebop: Music for Freelance

Victor Entertainment
VICL-60371, ¥2,625

(All of the 'Radio Free Mars' talks are in English! Yay! :)

Track 01: Radio Free Mars Talk 1

Track 02: Tank! (Luke Vilbert Remix)

Track 03: Radio Free Mars Talk 2

Track 04: Forever Broke (Fila Brazilla Remix)

Track 05: Radio Free Mars Talk 3

Track 06: Cats On Mars (DMX Crew Mix)

Track 07: Radio Free Mars Talk 4

Track 08: Piano Black (Ian O'Brien Remix)

Track 09: Cat Blues (Mr. Scruff Remix)

Track 10: Radio Free Mars Talk 5

Track 11: Fe (DJ Vadim Remix)

Track 12: Fantaisie Sign (Ian Pooley Remix)

Track 13: Radio Free Mars Talk 6

Track 14: Space Lion (4 Hero Remix)

Track 15: Radio Free Mars Talk 7

This is an awesome CD! Yoko Kanno said at AX that in the past she did not enjoy other people's attempts at remixing her works, she did in fact like the remixes of her Bebop mixed on this CD :) All the tracks have been given a techno-twist to them that really gives these already great songs an even cooler beat :) In between the music tracks are those 'Radio Free Mars' 'drama' tracks (sort of) in which an English speaking DJ running a pirate DJradio station out of Mars plays these remixed songs. I really like the DJ, he is very entertaining. However I will say that the rumor he says on it is false ^_^ Yoko Kanno reports that she was not a former pro-wrestler, though she does tend to thrash around a lot in the studio :) There is even a refrence to Star Wars on this CD.

This is an awesome CD! Yoko Kanno said at AX that in the past she did not enjoy other people's attempts at remixing her works, she did in fact like the remixes of her Bebop mixed on this CD :) All the tracks have been given a techno-twist to them that really gives these already great songs an even cooler beat :) In between the music tracks are those 'Radio Free Mars' 'drama' tracks (sort of) in which an English speaking DJ running a pirate DJradio station out of Mars plays these remixed songs. I really like the DJ, he is very entertaining. However I will say that the rumor he says on it is false ^_^ Yoko Kanno reports that she was not a former pro-wrestler, though she does tend to thrash around a lot in the studio :) There is even a refrence to Star Wars on this CD.

The wonderful music continues with this soundtrack to the Cowboy Bebop movie, "Knockin on Heaven's Door." Once again we have an interesting selection of music by Yoko Kanno, with support from her group, the SEATBELTS, who worked with her on the previous CDs. I think my personal favorite tracks on this CD are 'Yo Pumpkin Head', 'What Planet is This?', 'Diggin', 'Gotta Knock a Little Harder', and 'Rain'. Yes, the version of 'Rain' on this CD is the actual version that appears in episode 5 of the anime. It's the female vocal version with Mai Yamane. I know that this version has long been sought after by fans, and I am glad they finally released it! I think the most disturbing song on this CD is '24hours OPEN', which is basically just convenience store muzak and the sounds of machine guns and screaming. Okay..... ^_^;

COWBOY BEBOP CD BOX SET

There are fake/bootleg versions of this CD set ALL OVER the internet. It really annoys me! The fake sets usually only contain 4 CDs and do not have the smaller CD single bonus CD. Please avoid bootleg sets, support Yoko Kanno! Basically if you see this set for $15-40, it's a BOOTLEG. None of your money goes to support the musicians or artists who created the music and the show.

DISC 1

Track 01: Dialogue 1-1

Track 02: Tank! (TV Edit)

Track 03: Dialogue 1-2

Track 04: Want It All Back (clavinet hater version)

Track 05: Sax Quartet

Track 06: Dialogue 1-3

Track 07: Encore un verre

Track 08: March for Koala

Track 09: Dialogue 1-4

Track 10: Felt Tip Pen

Track 11: The Egg and You

Track 12: Dialogue 1-5

Track 13: Pot City II (Yab's Dub)

Track 14: Dialogue 1-6

Track 15: NY Rush

Track 16: Dialogue 1-7

Track 17: Fe

Track 18: Piano Black

Track 19: Dialogue 1-8

Track 20: Spokey Dokey (alternate take)

Track 21: Forever Broke

Track 22: Dialogue 1-9

Track 23: Road to the West (with rythm)

Track 24: Dialogue 1-10

Track 25: Meteor

Track 26: Dialogue 1-11

Track 27: Digging my Potato

Track 28: Dialogue 1-12

Track 29: Rain (demo version)

Track 30: Dialogue 1-13

Track 31: Green Bird

DISC 2

Track 01: Dialogue 2-1

Track 02: Cats on Mars

Track 03: Doggy Dog II

Track 04: Doggy Dog III

Track 05: Dialogue 2-2

Track 06: Piano Bar I

Track 07: Give and Take

Track 08: Dialogue 2-3

Track 09: Cat Blues

Track 10: Dialogue 2-4

Track 11: The Singing Sea II

Track 12: Dialogue 2-5

Track 13: ELM

Track 14: WALTZ for ZIZI

Track 15: Dialogue 2-6

Track 16: Kawaisou na Faye (knee sock)

Track 17: Farewell Blues (alternate take)

Track 18: Dialogue 2-7

Track 19: Words That We Couldn't Say

Track 20: Dialogue 2-8

Track 21: Space Lion (orgel version)

Track 22: Waste Land

Track 23: Dialogue 2-9

Track 24: Goodnight Julia

Track 25: Space Lion

Wow, this set is so cool! It contains a ton of Bebop music as well as a bunch of clips of dialog (in Japanese) from the anime. Lets see... I don't know if there is only one pressing of this set, or if what I got is the first pressing or what. But this set comes with a large poster that advertises the box set and has a picture of Spike, and a track listing. The main package is flat, and 2 CDs tall. It's a cardboard box, with a picture of Spike, and Cowboy Bebop embossed onto it. The actual CDs are in this book that you slide out of the box. You open it up, and there are 2 full-sized CDs on each side. In the middle is a thick booklet that has all sorts of Bebop info (all in Japanese, of course). There's stuff like interviews with the creators of Bebop, info on the songs and Yoko Kanno, Pictures of all the CD covers, pictures of the Seatbelts concert, song lyrics, etc. The CD single that comes with this (aka Disc #5) contains 3 tracks. The first is Ed's song, and it is basically a remix of Bebop's OP song 'Tank!' with Ed singing along ^_^ The second is Andy's song, and it is the song "Go Go Cactus" with Andy singing along very enthusiastically ^_^ Finally there is another remixed version of 'Tank!' this tie with Ein 'singing' along. The Tank Remixes are very laid back. I like them. Legit, real versions of this set have the 5 CDs. Unfortunately, this legit set is out of print.

DISC 3

Track 01: Dialogue 3-1

Track 02: Go Go Cactus (guitar version)

Track 03: Dialogue 3-2

Track 04: Too Good Too Bad

Track 05: Dialogue 3-3

Track 06: Eyeball

Track 07: Dialogue 3-4

Track 08: Amusement Park

Track 09: On the Run

Track 10: Dialogue 3-5

Track 11: 23 Hanashi

Track 12: Dialogue 3-7

Track 13: Don't Bother None (long version)

Track 14: Dialogue 3-9

Track 15: WO QUI NON COIN

Track 16: Kawaisou na Faye (lip cream)

Track 17: Call Me Call Me

Track 18: Dialogue 3-8

Track 19: Memory

Track 20: Adieu

Track 21: Dialogue 3-9

Track 22: SEE YOU SPACE COWBOYS NOT FINAL MIX MOUNTAIN ROOT

Track 23: Dialogue 3-10

Track 24: Blue

DISC 4

Track 01: Tank!

Track 02: Rush

Track 03: What Planet is This?

Track 04: Too Good Too Bad

Track 05: Bad Dog No Biscuit

Track 06: Call Me Call Me

Track 07: Mushroom Hunting

Track 08: The Real Folk Blues

Track 09: piano solo

Track 10: Ask DNA

Track 11: SF Game Center

Track 12: Rouya

Track 13: Old School Game

DISC 5

Track 01: Sasurai no Cowboy (Cowboy Bebop Theme) (sung by Ed)

Track 02: Miwaku no Horse Riding (sung by Andy)

Track 03: Sasurai no Cowboy (Cowboy Bebop Theme)(Sung by Ein)

COWBOY BEBOP Tank! THE BEST!

Victor Entertainment
VICL-61543, ¥2,100
Released: December 22, 2004

* = New Song

Track 01: Tank! (TV stretch)

Track 02: What Planet is This?

Track 03: Cosmic Dare (Pretty With A Pistol)

Track 04: Diamonds *

Track 05: Don't Bother None (TV Edit)

Track 06: PIANO BLACK

Track 07: Mushroom Hunting

Track 08: No Reply

Track 09: Blue

Track 10: Einstein Groovin' *

Track 11: Pearls *

Track 12: Gotta Knock a Little Harder

Yay, another Bebop CD! This CD is awesome! It is mostly tracks that are already on other CDs, but there are a few new tracks that are from the Cowboy Bebop video game coming out in 2005. What struck me, when I first looked at it, is how cool the booklet is! It's bilingual (yay for English!) and it's very funny. It presents itself as "A Collection of the Twelve Hottest Space-Drive Music Hits of the (20)70's!" and each track listing has a cute story to go with it and a picture of the 'original album' it first appeared on. For example, for the song "Gotta Knock a Little Harder" the blurb reads: "From the Album Sea Rats Facing Extinction (2070). YK personally donated 0.002% of the proceeds from the album sale to a nature conservation group devoted to halting the extinction of sea rats. The creatures had formed a staple part of YK's diet in recent years, and although she claimed in interviews that she did not like them, she was prompted into action by news of the declining sea rat harvest." Very silly! If you don't have much money, and can get only one Bebop CD, I think this is a good one to get.

Cowboy Bebop: Tsuitou no Yakyoku Original Game Music

Victor Entertainment
Not for Direct Sale
Released: August 23, 2005

Track 01: Diamonds - Instrumental

Track 02: Pearls - Instrumental

Track 03: Einstein Groovin' - Instrumental

This is a CD single that came packaged with the 2005 Cowboy Bebop PS2 Game, "Tsuitou no Yakyoku." It was not sold for sale separately, and it only contains those 3 instrumental versions of the 3 new vocal songs that first appear on the "Tank! The Best!" CD.

Technically, this is not a Cowboy Bebop CD, it is a SEATBELTS CD, however, it does contain several tracks from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, so I am including it here anyway. This is an amazing 3-CD set that contains a selection of music from the various series that Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts have performed the music on. These include Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Turn A Gundam, Macross Plus, and Macross Frontier among others. I couldn't resist getting this one, even though I have the music spread across other CDs. This is a great set to find a bunch of the best tracks in one place. It is worth noting that some of the tracks are listed as "Eco. Size" meaning they have been edited slightly. They aren't as short as "TV Size" versions of songs, but there may be a verse missing, or other edits for time. It is not really noticeable, actually.

This is also not a specific Cowboy Bebop album, however, it does contain some Cowboy Bebop songs that also appear on the "Tank! The Best!" CD. This is a collaboration between Yoko Kanno and Italian vocalist Ilaria Graziano (stage name ILA). She sings on several of Kanno's projects, including Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Wolf's Rain.